点评:Choose Eco-Africa! They arranged my airport pick up and drop off, safari adventure, and 9-Day Northern Circuit trip on Kilimanjaro. Fredrick was very kind and flexible and created a seamless experience. I changed my plans multiple times and he accommodated every request and made me feel at-ease.
The safari with Josephat was awesome! We went to Tanangire and Ngorongoro and saw SO much wildlife. Josephat knew where to go and what to look for and was able to answer all my questions— even the niche ones. I passed out in the car to and from and he was good about letting me sleep off the jet lag.
The Kilimanjaro trek was INCREDIBLE! Our guide Osemo was one of the most experienced and positive people I’ve ever met. Based on years of experience, he knew the right path/pace for us and motivated us along the way. Onesmo and summit porter Vincent were willing to hike many extra hours to the summit when a group member was struggling with the altitude and walking pole pole x3. I was told that most companies wouldn't have gone the extra mile and would have turned back (there is no extra money in longer days). But they were willing to do anything, as long as it was safe, to help us achieve our dreams. Osemo has tons of experience with successful acclimation but also plentiful experience with High Altitude Sickness at its worst. You are in good hands with this guide. No wonder they have such a high summit success rate! Our other guide, John was awesome to trek with. He answered all my questions about ecology and the flora and fauna. We found out we both studied Community Economic Development in university! No way?! Jonathan and Matthew are also trained as guides and stepped up occasionally to help when our small group split up due to different paces. Matthew was so encouraging and quirky and helped me understand Tanzania’s culture and systems in an authentic way, which I really appreciated. Jonathan served us food, drinks, and water for washing each day and kept us nourished and comfortable. The morning coffee he brought us in our tents was my favorite part of the day and I’m going to miss it so much!
Our cook/chef was awesome! David/Dowdy?/Babu was magic. He made delicious meals with a surprising amount of variety. I’m vegetarian and struggle with FODMAPs he accommodated my diet with no questions asked. When one group member disclosed cilantro tasted like soap, he shifted and we never have a meal with cilantro again. Amazing! They can even make meals vegan or kosher. So cool.
The porters are superhero!!! They do the same route as guests but with 20kg extra on their backs and heads and have to set up and take down tents AND keep a positive attitude to keep us happy. Porters are the heart of the mountain. I was soooo impressed by them. Such athletic, humble, compassionate, respectful, and diligent humans. I was a little nervous because I was going to be the only woman in a group of 18 men, but everyone treated me respectfully and like a queen. Everyone called me dada (sister) which made me feel special and included. I joined the porters in their tent one night to play cards and it was one of my favorite experiences of the trip! TIP PORTERS WELL! Eco-Africa compensates porters better than most, but porters rely on tips to feed their families. Give them what they deserve for doing a high risk job to help you achieve your personal goals. Electronic payment results in 18% being taken out by the government, so bring cash. They will take USD if you bring that from home (probably a better option than the local ATMs, actually). Shout out to Elijas (Eligius?), Philemon, Mugabo, Mussa, Ally (Ali?), Richard, Faustine, and Tomas (Thomas?). I hope you are all getting some rest and time with your families.
Asante sana, my mountain brothers!
翻译:选择Eco-Africa吧!他们为我安排了机场接送服务、野生动物狩猎之旅,还有为期9天的乞力马扎罗山北部环线游。Fredrick为人友善且灵活变通,让整个旅程顺畅无忧。我多次更改行程安排,而他都悉数满足我的要求,让我倍感安心。
和Josephat一起进行的狩猎之旅棒极了!我们去了塔朗吉雷和恩戈罗恩戈罗,看到了大量野生动物。Josephat知道该去哪里、该寻找什么,还能回答我所有的问题——甚至是那些比较冷门的问题。往返途中我在车里睡着了,他很体贴地让我好好睡一觉以缓解时差反应。
乞力马扎罗山徒步之旅简直棒极了!我们的向导Osemo是我见过经验最丰富且最积极乐观的人。凭借多年的经验,他为我们挑选了最合适的路线和步调,一路上还不断激励着我们。当团队中有人因高原反应而步履艰难时,向导Onesmo以及负责背运物资的Vincent主动提出多花好几个小时徒步前往山顶。我后来得知,大多数旅行社都不会这么做,一般会选择折返(毕竟多花时间工作也拿不到额外报酬)。但他们愿意在安全的前提下尽一切努力,帮助我们实现梦想。Osemo在帮助徒步者顺利适应高原环境方面拥有丰富经验,同时对于如何应对最严重的高原反应也了如指掌。跟着他做向导绝对放心。也难怪他的登顶成功率如此之高!另一位向导约翰也非常出色,和他一起徒步真是愉快。他耐心解答了我所有关于生态环境以及动植物的疑问。后来我们才发现,原来我们在大学时都学习过社区经济发展专业!真是巧得令人难以置信啊!乔纳森和马修也都接受过导游培训。当我们这个小团队因行走速度不同而分散开时,他们总会及时伸出援手。马修既热情又风趣,他以一种非常真切的方式帮我了解了坦桑尼亚的文化与社会体系,对此我深表感激。乔纳森每天都会为我们准备食物、饮料以及用来洗漱的水,确保我们营养均衡且舒适自在。每天清晨他送到帐篷里的咖啡是我一天中最喜欢的时刻,我会无比怀念这一刻的!我们的厨师太棒了!David/Dowdy?/Babu简直就是魔法师。他做出了种类繁多且美味的菜肴。我是素食者,还对FODMAP敏感,但他毫无怨言地满足了我的饮食需求。当有位团员说香菜尝起来像肥皂时,他立刻做出了调整,从此我们的餐食中再也没出现过香菜。太厉害了!他们甚至还能制作纯素或符合犹太教规的餐食。真是酷毙了。
那些搬运工简直就是超级英雄!!他们走的路线与游客相同,但背上和头上要背负20公斤的重物;他们不仅要搭建和拆除帐篷,还得保持积极乐观的心态来让我们开心。挑夫们才是山区的灵魂所在。他们真的让我钦佩至极——他们是如此强壮、谦逊、富有同情心、懂得尊重他人且勤奋努力的人。起初我有点紧张,因为我是18个男人中唯一的女性,但每个人都对我礼遇有加,待我如女王一般。大家都叫我“姐姐”,这让我感觉自己很特别,也深受接纳。有一天晚上,我加入搬运工们一起在帐篷里打牌,那是这次旅行中我最难忘的经历之一!小贴士:一定要给搬运工小费哦!虽然Eco-Africa给搬运工的报酬比大多数旅行社要高,但他们仍依赖小费来养家糊口。他们冒着风险来帮助你实现个人目标,理应得到应有的回报。使用电子支付的话会有18%的费用被政府扣除,所以请带上现金吧。如果你从家里带美元过来,他们也会收下(实际上,这或许比使用当地的自动取款机更划算)。在此特别感谢Elijas(Eligius?)、Philemon、Mugabo、Mussa、Ally(Ali?)、Richard、Faustine以及Tomas(Thomas?)。希望你们都能好好休息,也能享受与家人相处的时光。
非常感谢,我的山友们!